When a woman and her doctor are exploring her best treatment options for an ovarian cyst, there are several things to consider. The most important one is the severity of the cyst as in whether or not it’s dangerous. To determine this, there will be some diagnostic tests performed in order to find out just what sort of ovarian cyst the woman has.

The size, location, and kind of material the cyst is made from as well as the woman’s age all figure in what sort of treatment is most effective.

If the woman has what’s called a functional cyst, most of the time the doctor will advise her to give it some time to go away by itself. The reason for this is that these types of ovarian cysts are typically harmless and do dissolve over a period of time without any treatment at all.

However, doctors will require women that have these types of cysts to return for a pelvic exam and ultrasound after she’s gone through 2 menstrual cycles. This will tell if there are any changes to the cyst.

When the woman returns for this doctor visit, any changes in the cyst will be noted and, if needed, re-evaluated. If the cyst seems to come and go, the doctor may decide that the best course of action is to prescribe some low dosage birth control pills. These pills decrease the hormones that encourage the growth of cysts. They also prevent large cysts from developing. However, if the cyst is still there and is growing over 2 inches in size, there’s a good chance that the doctor will recommend removing it through surgery.

If the woman has a polycystic ovary, there are different ways to treat it. One of the major symptoms of these types of ovarian cysts is infertility. For women that are trying to become pregnant but cannot due to this cyst, doctors can prescribe the drug Clomid, which helps to stimulate ovulation. If the woman isn’t trying to become pregnant but is having irregular periods or no periods at all, the doctor can prescribe Provera. This is a drug that will restore a normal menstrual cycle.

For women with very large, or possibly, cancerous cysts, surgical removal is usually the best treatment choice. This can be done either by open surgery or the less invasive laparoscopy. The size of the ovarian cyst most likely determines the type of surgery that’s needed. Once the cyst is removed, it will be tested for cancerous cells. If it yields positive results, a treatment plan for the cancer will follow.